Policy Recommendations for the Roma Youth in Europe

26 June 2026

The Policy Recommendations for Roma Youth in Europe are developed within the frame of the RomaREACH project. They represent a targeted blueprint for structural transformation, shifting the paradigm from viewing Roma youth as passive beneficiaries to recognizing them as legitimate policy actors and knowledge producers. This document centers lived experience as expertise, channeling the political agency of young Roma activists into a roadmap for systemic change.

To eradicate the "Implementation Gap" between abstract European rights and grassroots realities, this policy report consolidates our demands into four Strategic Pillars, completely aligned with the EU Roma Strategic Framework (2020-2030):

• Pillar 1: Civic Participation and Political Empowerment. Ending tokenism by establishing legally binding Roma Youth Advisory Boards and funding digital micro-grants for grassroots associativism.
• Pillar 2: Combating Antigypsyism and Institutional/Digital Racism.  Demanding an enforceable, unified definition of Antigypsyism, strict regulation of cyber-hate under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), and mandatory anti-discrimination training for public sector employees.
• Pillar 3: Educational Equity, Leadership, and Historical Memory. Enforcing strict EU funding conditionality against educational segregation, investing in higher education pathways for Roma women, and institutionalizing Roma historical memory.
• Pillar 4: Structural Inclusion in Health and Housing. Implementing structural "Housing-First" models to prevent forced evictions and formally institutionalizing the role of Community-Based Roma Health Mediators.

Project: 101147330 – RomaREACH – CERV-2023-CITIZENS-CIV 

Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible.

The report is accessible here: